Study: Top mobile shopping savvy cities in U.S.

New York -- Houston claimed the top spot for the second year in a row, followed by Seattle and San Francisco, in a ranking of the most mobile shopping savvy cities in the United States. The survey was conducted by The Interactive Advertising Bureau and its Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence, in partnership with Prosper Mobile Insights.



Among notable changes in the rankings, Boston made its debut in the top ten, while New York and Atlanta both saw slight declines. In comparison, Los Angeles and Chicago held steady in their rankings between this year and last.



Here is the complete “2012 IAB U.S. Mobile Shopping Savvy Cities Index” ranking:

1. Houston


2. Seattle-Tacoma


3. San Francisco


4. Los Angeles

5. New York City

6. Atlanta

7. Chicago


8. Dallas-Ft. Worth

9. Boston


10. Philadelphia

11. Washington, D.C.

12. Detroit

13. Tampa-St. Petersburg

14. Phoenix

15. Minneapolis-St. Paul



The rankings were determined by reviewing data about mobile usage patterns, as well as the frequency of usage among mobile-savvy shoppers across major U.S. cities. For research and survey purposes, “mobile shopping” refers both to completing purchases via a phone or tablet, as well as to using a phone or tablet to research or shop for products that are later purchased in physical retail locations or online.